1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a print controlling apparatus, a print controlling method, and a storage medium that stores a software program implementing the print controlling method on a computer, and more particularly to a configuration to execute a printing process on a printing apparatus via information processing apparatuses.
2. Description of the Related Art
Along with the promotion of computerized information, image processing apparatuses such as printers and facsimiles that output computerized information and scanners that computerize documents have become indispensable. Many of these image processing apparatuses are configured as multi functional peripherals (MFPs) available as printers, facsimiles, scanners, and copiers by including functions such as scanning, image forming, and communicating.
Among these image processing apparatuses, printers that execute printing based on print jobs generated by information processing apparatuses such as personal computers (PCs) are widely used. Also, printer drivers adapted to individual printer functions are generally installed in the information processing apparatuses as software programs that implement the ability to generate print jobs to input to the printers.
Printer drivers generate print jobs by converting image information to be printed and print setting information into information written in Page Description Languages (PDLs) such as PostScript (PS) and Printer Control Language (PCL).
Also, a method that controls printing apparatuses by dividing the printer driver into two stages, a printer driver to send a print job to each printing apparatus and a virtual printer driver to send a print job to each printer driver, is proposed (e.g., JP-2010-286873-A.)
Nowadays, regarding printing apparatuses, various services are provided by expanding features of printer drivers and having printer drivers collaborate with other systems. However, there are many kinds of printer drivers that support not only PS and PCL described above but also proprietary PDL languages developed by printing apparatus manufacturers. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop from scratch a printer driver for a PDL language that supports services provided by another printer driver compliant with another specific PDL language, which burdens developers.
Also, depending on the specifications of a PDL language, it is occasionally difficult to expand features of the PDL language and collaborate with other systems especially if the specifications are not open, as with manufacturers' proprietary PDL languages. In this connection, it should be noted that the method described in JP-2010-286873-A is directed to controlling a print job destination, and thus the purpose of that invention is different from that of the present invention, which is directed to expanding various features by using printer drivers.